System and method for adjusting alignment of a panel

ABSTRACT

It is known for balustrades and partitions to be formed from a flat panel ( 2 ), such as glass, and for such panels to be anchored along a lower edge and substantially unsupported at an upper edge. Vertical alignment of such panels has been achieved by ensuring that the trough ( 4 ) in which they are anchored is itself precisely aligned on a horizontal, such that any flat panel ( 2 ) inserted therein stands in a vertical plane. According to the invention, a panel ( 2 ) may be aligned with its major face in a substantially vertical plane, even when the trough ( 4 ) is located with its base substantially not horizontal. In addition, the panel ( 2 ) may be held in the base of the trough ( 4 ) by the force of an adjustment part ( 16 ) on a first joint surface ( 12 ), thereby increasing stability of the panel ( 2 ). Furthermore, adjustment of the panel ( 2 ) may be made more simply than in prior art methods by means of the adjustment part ( 16 ) being more accessible to a user.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus, system and amethod for adjusting an alignment of a panel, and finds particularalthough not exclusive utility in adjustment of glass panels used onbalustrades and partitions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known for balustrades and partitions to be formed from a flatpanel, such as glass, and for such panels to be anchored along a loweredge and substantially unsupported at an upper edge. Known methods ofsupporting these panels include placing a lower edge into a trough andclamping the panel in place.

It is desirable for these panels to be arranged/aligned vertically, bothfor aesthetic reasons, and to ensure that their centre of mass actsthrough their footprint, thereby reducing constant torque on theirsupport mechanisms. Conventionally, this has been achieved by ensuringthat the trough is itself precisely aligned on a horizontal, such thatany flat panel inserted therein stands in a vertical plane.

International Patent Application WO2011/095779 describes an alternativemechanism for supporting a flat panel in a vertical alignment, wherebythe angle of the panel can be adjusted after insertion. Thus,WO2011/095779 allows a trough to be placed on an approximatelyhorizontal surface, or a surface that may be subject to subsidence, andfor alignment of a panel to be achieved at a later point.

However, the arrangement of WO2011/095779 is difficult to adjust, due toadjustment components (such as a hexagonal nut head) being locatedwithin the trough itself, and at an inconvenient angle. For example, auser of WO2011/095779 would only be able to use a short spanner/wrenchto adjust the hexagonal nut head, and then only by turning it throughperhaps 100 degrees at most, and more likely only 30 degrees.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to overcome this problem by providing aneasily adjustable system for adjusting the alignment of a flat panel,which also has the advantages of providing secure support, andpost-construction alignment.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provideda system for adjusting alignment of a flat panel, the system comprising:a longitudinal trough having two opposing side walls and a baseconnected therebetween, the trough being open on a side opposing thebase, the trough configured to be attachable to a surface; at least onegripping part for securely holding a section of the flat panel, the atleast one gripping part having a contact surface for engaging with aface of the flat panel and a first joint surface inclined obliquely tothe contact surface, the at least one gripping part locatable within thelongitudinal trough with the joint surface at least partially facing theopen side of the trough opposing the base; and at least one adjustmentpart connected at a fixed end to one of the side walls of the trough,the at least one adjustment part having a second joint surface spacedfrom the fixed end of the adjustment part by a distance that isadjustable by a user, the second joint surface arrangable in contactwith the first joint surface to form a joint; and wherein reducing thedistance between the second joint surface and the fixed end of theadjustment part results in: a force being applied by the second jointsurface onto the first joint surface, resulting in the gripping partgripping the panel and urging the panel toward the base of the trough;and pivoting of the panel within the trough about an axis parallel to alongitudinal length of the trough.

In this way, a panel may be aligned with its major face in asubstantially vertical plane, even when the trough is located with itsbase substantially not horizontal. In particular, up to 10 degrees fromhorizontal, more particularly up to 5 degrees from horizontal, forinstance up to 3 degrees from horizontal.

In addition, the force acting on the panel may have a component actingperpendicular to a major face of the panel (which acts to grip thepanel) and another component acting substantially parallel to the majorface of the panel (which urges the panel toward the base of the trough);that is, the panel may be held in the base of the trough by the force ofthe adjustment part on the first joint surface, thereby increasingstability of the panel.

Furthermore, adjustment of the panel may be made more simply than inprior art methods by means of the adjustment part being more accessibleto a user.

The system may be configured such that, when in use, the adjustment partis under tension, and the gripping part may be under compression. Thesystem may be configured such that, when in use, the adjustment part isnot under compression. In this way, access to one end of the adjustmentpart may be easily provided for adjustment; that is, the side wall andthe second joint surface each pull in opposing directions on theadjustment member, toward a middle of the adjustment member. Incontrast, were the adjustment part under compression when in use, eachend of the adjustment member would be obscured by parts of the systemproviding the compression; that is, the side wall would push on thefirst end of the adjustment member and an opposing end of the adjustmentmember would push on the gripping part.

The present invention may be usable with flat panels that have twoopposing major faces, joined around a perimeter by for instance four ormore minor faces. The major faces may define the plane of the panel, andthe minor faces may define an edge of the panel. The major faces aresubstantially larger than the minor faces. The present invention may beusable with one or more shims and/or spacers located with a flat panel,for instance, against a major face of the flat panel. In particular, ashim/spacer may be placed between the flat panel and the gripping part,such that the gripping part may be used with flat panels havingdiffering thicknesses. Alternatively or additionally, the gripping partmay be adjustable for use with flat panels having different thicknesses.In some embodiments, the gripping part may comprise one or more of suchshims/spacers. Each shim/spacer may be a flat sheet, which in somecircumstances may be tapered or wedged, but is preferably ofsubstantially uniform thickness. The shim/spacer may be made of metal,aluminium, silicone, rubber, synthetic rubber, wood, plastic material,composite material or any other suitable material. The shim/spacer maybe approximately 1 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm or 5 mm thick (i.e.between major faces). A single or multiple shims/spaces may be usedadjacent to a flat panel.

The trough may have a longitudinal axis, and may be substantially longerin a length parallel to the longitudinal axis than in a width or depthat right angles to the longitudinal axis. The side walls may extendalong respective sides of the trough, parallel to the longitudinal axis.Similarly, the base may extend between the side walls, alsosubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. Ends of the trough maybe open or closed; that is, the ends substantially perpendicular to theside walls, the base and the longitudinal axis. The trough may be openon a side substantially opposing the base; that is, the side walls maybe connected to one another at the base, and optionally the ends, butnot at substantially any additional point. The open side opposing thebase may be referred to as the top, even when the trough is located on asurface that is substantially non-horizontal, or is affixed to a surfaceat a non-zero angle to the base of the trough. The side walls may bespaced from one another. The trough may be integrally formed, formed byextrusion, moulding, or may be assembled from component parts, forinstance by welding, bolting, screwing, gluing, etc. The trough may be achannel.

The trough may have a tapered cross-section; that is an internal widthof the trough adjacent to the base may be less than an internal width ofthe trough adjacent to the open top. In particular, an internal width ofthe trough approximately mid-way up may be more than an internal widthof the trough adjacent to the base. The gripping part may be configuredto be wedgeable into the trough substantially adjacent to the base.

The trough may be configured to be removably or substantiallypermanently attachable to a surface. The trough may be configured to beset into a trench in a surface, such that the open side of the trough issubstantially level with the surface. The trough may be attached to asurface such that it is horizontal; however, the present invention iscapable of use when the trough is attached to a surface such that it issubstantially non-horizontal. The trough may be screwed, glued,cemented, bolted or otherwise fixed to and/or into a surface.

The gripping part may securely hold a periphery of a flat panel, forinstance a portion of the flat panel adjacent to a lower edge of thepanel. The gripping part may engage a face of the flat panel immediatelyto a lower edge of the panel.

The gripping part may comprise a relatively high-friction surface forsecurely holding a section of the flat panel. The gripping part maycomprise rubber material, synthetic rubber material, silicone rubbermaterial and/or any other suitable form of resilient material. Thecontact surface may be substantially planar and/or flat. The contactsurface may be substantially smooth; however, in preferred embodimentsthe contact surface is textured. For instance, the contact surface maycomprise ridges, protuberances and/or dimples.

The first joint surface may be substantially non-parallel to the contactsurface. The first joint surface may be substantially non-perpendicularto the contact surface. The first joint surface may be at an angle ofbetween 20 and 70 degrees to the contact surface, and this angle may bemeasured about an axis that is substantially parallel to thelongitudinal length of the trough. The angle may be between 30 and 60degrees, in particular between 35 and 55 degrees, more particularlybetween 40 and 50 degrees, for example, approximately 40, 45 or 50degrees.

The first and/or second joint surface may be a relatively low-frictionsurface; that is, the first and/or second joint surfaces may have asubstantially lower friction than the contact surface.

In use, the joint surface may be facing upwards, and/or may be seenthrough the open side of the trough opposing the base (e.g. seen throughthe top of the trough).

The term ‘connected’ in relation to the adjustment part and the sidewalls is to be interpreted as substantially more than mere contact ofthe parts together. The adjustment part may be secured to the side wall,for instance by a cooperating engaging mechanism. The adjustment partmay be removably or substantially permanently connected to the side wallof the trough. The adjustment part may be connected to the side walls bycooperating hooking parts, screw-threading parts, or by other suitableconnection parts. The adjustment part may be integrally formed with theside walls, or may be glued, welded, or similarly affixed to the sidewall. The adjustment part may be slidably received in a slot in the sidewall, for instance by sliding in a direction substantially perpendicularto a direction in which the second joint surface is movable toward/awayfrom the fixed end.

The distance between the second joint surface and the fixed end of theadjustment part may be configured to be adjusted with a screw-threadarrangement. For instance, the adjustment part may comprise a threadedshank and a cooperatively threaded nut may be provided on the shank suchthat rotation of the nut about the shank results in movement of thesecond joint surface along the shank. For example, the second jointsurface may be provided on a sliding part having a central bore throughwhich the threaded shank passes, and a nut may limit movement of thesliding part along the shank.

The adjustment part may comprises: an externally threaded shank having ahead; a sliding part arranged to be slidably receivable on the threadedshank, the sliding part comprising the second joint surface arranged toface at least partially toward the fixed end of the adjustment part;and/or an internally threaded nut; and the sliding part may be biasedaway from the fixed end by the first joint surface, and relativerotation of the nut and the head about an axis of the shank may causemovement of the sliding part with respect to the fixed end.

The head may be located at the fixed end such that rotation of the nutmoves the sliding part along the threaded shank.

The nut may be located at the fixed end such that rotation of the headmoves the sliding part with the head in relation to the fixed end.

In this way, a portion of the threaded shank between the head and thenut is under tension.

The second joint surface may be arrangable in mere contact with thefirst joint surface to form a joint. The second joint surface may not beconnected to the first joint surface by any means other than merecontact. The second joint surface may be arranged in contact with thefirst joint surface to form a planar joint; that is, a joint with onerotational and two translational degrees of freedom. The first jointsurface and/or the second joint surface may be further constrained suchthat the first and second joint surfaces may move with respect to eachother substantially only in one translational degree of freedom. Thefirst and/or second joint surface may be substantially flat; however, insome embodiments, the first and/or second joint surfaces may besubstantially curved, such that relative movement between the two jointsurfaces corresponds to relative rotation about a common axis. The jointmay operate as a revolute, pin or hinge joint.

The system may comprise at least one pair of opposed gripping parts forsecurely holding a section of the flat panel, and may comprise at leastone pair of adjustment parts, each adjustment part comprising arespective second joint surface arrangable in contact with a respectivefirst joint surface of one of the pair of gripping parts, to form arespective joint, wherein reducing the distance between the second jointsurface and the fixed end of one of the pair of adjustment parts, and/orincreasing the distance between the second joint surface and the fixedend of the other of the pair of adjustment parts, may result in pivotingof the panel within the trough about an axis parallel to a longitudinallength of the trough. The system may comprise a plurality of pairs ofopposed gripping parts spaced along the trough.

The opposed gripping parts may comprise a single gripping part extendingaround the panel. Alternatively or additionally, a series of grippingparts on one side of a panel may comprise a single gripping part.Similarly, a series of adjustment parts (and or components thereof) maycomprise a single adjustment part (and/or a component thereof).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is providedan apparatus for use in the system of the first aspect, the apparatuscomprising: at least one gripping part for securely holding a section ofa flat panel, the at least one gripping part having a contact surfacefor engaging with a face of the flat panel and a first joint surfaceinclined obliquely to the contact surface, the at least one grippingpart locatable within the longitudinal trough with the joint surface atleast partially facing an open side of a trough; and at least oneadjustment part connectable at a fixed end to a side wall of the trough,the at least one adjustment part having a second joint surface spacedfrom the fixed end of the adjustment part by a distance that isadjustable by a user, the second joint surface arrangable in contactwith the first joint surface to form a joint; and wherein reducing thedistance between the second joint surface and the fixed end of theadjustment part results in: a force being applied by the second jointsurface onto the first joint surface, resulting in the gripping partgripping the panel and urging the panel toward the base of the trough;and pivoting of the panel within the trough about an axis parallel to alongitudinal length of the trough.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda balustrade comprising: a substantially flat panel; a longitudinaltrough having two opposing side walls and a base connected therebetween,the trough being open on a side opposing the base, the trough configuredto be attachable to a surface; at least one gripping part arranged tosecurely hold a section of the flat panel, the at least one grippingpart having a contact surface engaged with a face of the flat panel anda first joint surface inclined obliquely to the contact surface, the atleast one gripping part located within the longitudinal trough with thejoint surface at least partially facing the open side of the troughopposing the base; and at least one adjustment part connected at a fixedend to one of the side walls of the trough, the at least one adjustmentpart having a second joint surface spaced from the fixed end of theadjustment part by a distance that is adjustable by a user, the secondjoint surface arranged in contact with the first joint surface to form ajoint; and wherein reducing the distance between the second jointsurface and the fixed end of the adjustment part results in: a forcebeing applied by the second joint surface onto the first joint surface,resulting in the gripping part gripping the panel and urging the paneltoward the base of the trough; and pivoting of the panel within thetrough about an axis parallel to a longitudinal length of the trough.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of adjusting alignment of a flat panel, the method comprising:providing a flat panel; providing a system according to the firstaspect; attaching the trough to a surface; engaging the contact surfaceof the gripping part with a face of the flat panel; securely holding asection of the flat panel with the gripping part; locating the grippingpart within the longitudinal trough with the joint surface at leastpartially facing the open side of the trough opposing the base;connecting at least one adjustment part at its fixed end to one of theside walls of the trough; arranging the second joint surface in contactwith the first joint surface to form a joint; reducing the distancebetween the second joint surface and the fixed end of the adjustmentpart; applying a force being with the second joint surface onto thefirst joint surface; gripping the panel with the gripping part; urgingthe panel with the gripping part toward the base of the trough; andpivoting of the panel within the trough about an axis parallel to alongitudinal length of the trough.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. Thisdescription is given for the sake of example only, without limiting thescope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to theattached drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first arrangement.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the first arrangement.

FIG. 3 shows an end view of the first arrangement in a firstconfiguration.

FIG. 4 shows an end view of the first arrangement in a secondconfiguration.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of a second arrangement.

FIG. 6 shows an end view of the second arrangement in a firstconfiguration.

FIG. 7 shows an end view of the second arrangement in a secondconfiguration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawingsbut the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. Thedrawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawingmay not include all of the features of the invention and thereforeshould not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of theinvention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may beexaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. Thedimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actualreductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in thedescription and in the claims, are used for distinguishing betweensimilar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, eithertemporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to beunderstood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriatecircumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences thandescribed or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in thedescription and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and notnecessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understoodthat the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriatecircumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations thandescribed or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims,should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listedthereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus tobe interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features,integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps orcomponents, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “adevice comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devicesconsisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to thepresent invention, the only relevant components of the device are A andB.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “anaspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in atleast one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus,appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or“in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but mayrefer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particularfeatures, structures or characteristics of any embodiment or aspect ofthe invention may be combined in any suitable manner, as would beapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, inone or more embodiments or aspects.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description variousfeatures of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a singleembodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one ormore of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure,however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing oraspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of theinvention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspectslie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosedembodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description arehereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with eachclaim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include somefeatures included in other embodiments, combinations of features ofdifferent embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention,and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilledin the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimedembodiments can be used in any combination.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are setforth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention maybe practised without these specific details. In other instances,well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown indetail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, thedisclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of thepermitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one ofsaid values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construedas an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter,lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of saidalternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and alsoto each value lying between said less preferred value and saidintermediate value.

The use of the term “at least one” may mean only one in certaincircumstances.

The principles of the invention will now be described by a detaileddescription of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features ofthe invention. It is clear that other arrangements can be configuredaccording to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the underlying concept or technical teaching of theinvention, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appendedclaims.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first arrangement in which a panel2 is supported in a trough 4 having side walls 6 and a base 10. Aportion of the lower edge of the panel is gripped by gripping parts 12,which are urged together and into a tapering slot 14 in the base of thetrough 4 by adjustment mechanisms 16.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the first arrangement and, inparticular, the detail of the adjustment mechanism 16. A block 20 isreceived on two threaded shafts 22, such that it may slide thereon viathrough holes 24 in the block 20. Lower ends of the threaded shafts 22are connected to an elongate hook 26 that is configured to cooperatewith projection 28 on an interior of the side wall 6. Nuts 30 on anupper end of the threaded shafts 22 maintain the block 20 thereon. Ahole 32 is provided in the base of the trough for securing the trough toa surface.

FIG. 3 shows an end view of the first arrangement in a firstconfiguration; that is, with the trough 4 located on a horizontalsurface (not shown) such that the panel 2 is disposed symmetricallywithin the trough 4 and vertical. The nuts 30 have been tightenedequally such that both blocks 20 push against the surfaces 34 of thegripping parts 12. The blocks 20 are held against the surfaces 34 by theelongate hooks 26 pulling on the projections 28. The force through thesurfaces 34 acts to push the panel 2 down into the tapering slot 14, andto clamp the panel from either side adjacent to the open top of thetrough. As can be seen from the figure, the nuts 30 remain exposed abovethe open top of the trough for ease of manipulation. In particular, auser may be able to rotate a spanner/wrench by more than 180 degrees ina single turn of the nut 30.

FIG. 4 shows an end view of the first arrangement in a secondconfiguration; that is, with the trough 4 located on a substantiallynon-horizontal surface (not shown) such that asymmetric adjustment ofthe adjustment mechanisms 16 is required in order to align the panel 2vertically.

The nut on the right hand side 30 a has been tightened more than the nuton the left hand side 30 b, such that the block on the right hand side20 a is lower than the block on the left hand side 20 b. This asymmetricdistribution of the blocks 20 results in an asymmetric positioning ofthe surfaces 34 against which the blocks 20 push.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of a second arrangement in which theconfiguration of the adjustment mechanisms 16 differs, and analternative trough 4′ is required. In this arrangement, the blocks 20are disposed on threaded shafts 36 that have a head including a screwdrive socket 38 (shown as an Allen or Hex socket; however, other formsof screw drive are contemplated). The threaded shafts 36 pass throughthe through holes 24 in the blocks 20 as before, and engage with t-slotnuts that sit within a t-slot track 42.

FIG. 6 shows an end view of the second arrangement in a firstconfiguration; that is, with the trough 4′ located on a horizontalsurface (not shown) such that the panel 2 is disposed symmetricallywithin the trough 4′ and vertical. The threaded shafts 36 have beentightened into the t-slot nuts 40 equally such that both blocks 20 pushagainst the surfaces 34 of the gripping parts 12.

FIG. 7 shows an end view of the second arrangement in a secondconfiguration; that is, with the trough 4′ located on a substantiallynon-horizontal surface (not shown) such that asymmetric adjustment ofthe adjustment mechanisms is required in order to align the panel 2vertically.

The threaded shaft on the right hand side 36 a has been tightened morethan the threaded shaft on the left hand side 36 b, such that the blockon the right hand side 20 a is lower than the block on the left handside 20 b. This asymmetric distribution of the blocks 20 results in anasymmetric positioning of the surfaces 34 against which the blocks 20push.

As can be seen from the figure, the screw drives on the threaded shafts36 are fully accessible to a user such that either may be operatedwithout hindrance.

1. A system for adjusting alignment of a flat panel, the systemcomprising: a longitudinal trough having two opposing side walls and abase connected therebetween, the trough being open on a side opposingthe base, the trough configured to be attachable to a surface; agripping part for securely holding a section of the flat panel, thegripping part having a substantially planar contact surface for engagingwith a face of the flat panel and a first joint surface inclinedobliquely to the contact surface, the gripping part locatable within thelongitudinal trough with the joint surface at least partially facing theopen side of the trough opposing the base; and an adjustment partconnected at a fixed end to first one of the side walls of the trough,the adjustment part having a second joint surface spaced from the fixedend of the adjustment part by a distance that is adjustable by a user,the second joint surface arrangable in contact with the first jointsurface to form a joint; and wherein reducing the distance between thesecond joint surface and the fixed end of the adjustment part resultsin: a force being applied by the second joint surface onto the firstjoint surface, resulting in the gripping part gripping the panel andurging the panel toward the base of the trough; and pivoting of thepanel within the trough about an axis parallel to a longitudinal lengthof the trough.
 2. The system of claim 1, configured such that, when inuse, the adjustment part is under tension.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the first joint surface is orientated at an angle of between 20and 70 degrees to the contact surface, measured about an axis that issubstantially parallel to a longitudinal length of the trough.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein at least one joint surface selected from thefirst joint surface and the second joint surface has a substantiallylower coefficient of friction than the contact surface.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the adjustment part is secured to the first one of theside walls of the trough at the fixed end by a cooperating engagingmechanism.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustment partcomprises: an externally threaded shank having a head; a sliding partarranged to be slidably receivable on the threaded shank, the slidingpart comprising the second joint surface arranged to face at leastpartially toward the fixed end of the adjustment part; and an internallythreaded nut; and wherein the sliding part is biased away from the fixedend by the first joint surface, and relative rotation of the nut and thehead about an axis of the shank causes movement of the sliding part withrespect to the fixed end.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the head islocated at the fixed end such that rotation of the nut moves the slidingpart along the threaded shank.
 8. The system of claim 6, wherein the nutis located at the fixed end such that rotation of the head moves thesliding part with the head in relation to the fixed end.
 9. The systemof claim 1, comprising a further gripping part opposing the grippingpart, the further gripping part for securely holding the section of theflat panel, the further gripping part having a further substantiallyplanar contact surface for engaging with a further face of the flatpanel opposing the face of the flat panel, and a further first jointsurface inclined obliquely to the further contact surface, the furthergripping part locatable within the longitudinal trough with the furtherjoint surface at least partially facing the open side of the troughopposing the base; and a further adjustment part connected at a furtherfixed end to a second one of the side walls of the trough, the furtheradjustment part having a further second joint surface spaced from thefurther fixed end of the further adjustment part by a further distancethat is adjustable by a user, the further second joint surfacearrangable in contact with the further first joint surface to form afurther joint; and wherein reducing the distance between the furthersecond joint surface and the further fixed end of the further adjustmentpart results in: a further force being applied by the further secondjoint surface onto the further first joint surface, resulting in thefurther gripping part gripping the panel and urging the panel toward thebase of the trough; and pivoting of the panel within the trough about anaxis parallel to a longitudinal length of the trough.
 10. An apparatusfor use in the system of claim 1, the apparatus comprising: a grippingpart for securely holding a section of a flat panel, the gripping parthaving a substantially planar contact surface for engaging with a faceof the flat panel and a first joint surface inclined obliquely to thecontact surface, the gripping part locatable within a longitudinaltrough with the first joint surface at least partially facing an openside of a trough; and an adjustment part connectable at a fixed end to aside wall of the trough, the adjustment part having a second jointsurface spaced from the fixed end of the adjustment part by a distancethat is adjustable by a user, the second joint surface arrangable incontact with the first joint surface to form a joint; and whereinreducing the distance between the second joint surface and the fixed endof the adjustment part results in: a force being applied by the secondjoint surface onto the first joint surface, resulting in the grippingpart gripping the panel and urging the panel toward the base of thetrough; and pivoting of the panel within the trough about an axisparallel to a longitudinal length of the trough.
 11. A balustradecomprising: a substantially flat panel; a longitudinal trough having twoopposing side walls and a base connected therebetween, the trough beingopen on a side opposing the base, the trough configured to be attachableto a surface; a gripping part arranged to securely hold a section of theflat panel, the gripping part having a substantially planar contactsurface engaged with a face of the flat panel and a first joint surfaceinclined obliquely to the contact surface, the gripping part locatedwithin the longitudinal trough with the joint surface at least partiallyfacing the open side of the trough opposing the base; and an adjustmentpart connected at a fixed end to a first one of the side walls of thetrough, the adjustment part having a second joint surface spaced fromthe fixed end of the adjustment part by a distance that is adjustable bya user, the second joint surface arranged in contact with the firstjoint surface to form a joint; and wherein reducing the distance betweenthe second joint surface and the fixed end of the adjustment partresults in: a force being applied by the second joint surface onto thefirst joint surface, resulting in the gripping part gripping the paneland urging the panel toward the base of the trough; and pivoting of thepanel within the trough about an axis parallel to a longitudinal lengthof the trough.
 12. A method of adjusting alignment of a flat panel, themethod comprising: providing a flat panel; providing a system accordingto claim 1; attaching the trough to a surface; engaging the contactsurface of the gripping part with a face of the flat panel; securelyholding a section of the flat panel with the gripping part; locating thegripping part within the longitudinal trough with the joint surface atleast partially facing the open side of the trough opposing the base;connecting at least one adjustment part at its fixed end to one of theside walls of the trough; arranging the second joint surface in contactwith the first joint surface to form a joint; reducing the distancebetween the second joint surface and the fixed end of the adjustmentpart; applying a force with the second joint surface onto the firstjoint surface; gripping the panel with the gripping part; urging thepanel with the gripping part toward the base of the trough; and pivotingof the panel within the trough about an axis parallel to a longitudinallength of the trough.